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American Cycle: Modern Gear for Biking

Dwell’s roundup of tech-savvy biking gear and stylish new cycles will give you more reasons to ride. In a poor paraphrase of George Orwell, two wheels good, four wheels bad.

Double-O Light by Paul Cocksedge Studio

Any biker who’s struggled with wraparound lights, or felt like a geeky raver due to inadvertently blinking battery packs, should appreciate this elegant solution to illuminated riding. Two magnetized rings of LEDs that attach to the front or rear of your ride, the Double-O offers a simple way to stay safe at night, and even fits inside a U-Lock. The satisfying snap of the neodymium-grade magnets lets you know they're working, and temporarily makes you feel like Magneto.

Visit the Double-0 site to be notified when the Kickstarted-funded lights are available for pre-order for the general public.

A (literally) elevated storage solution, the Shelfie unit boasts sculpted curves as fine as the ones on your Italian cruiser. Created by Jurgen Beneke, the plastic piece attaches to a wall and provides a place to rest your bike seat, making it adaptable to most types of bikes.

Visit the Shelfie site to be notified when this Kickstarted-funded product is available for pre-order this fall.

Is it time for the quantified cycle? The Vanhawks design team, led by Toronto designer Ali Zahid, are currently fundraising for their concept, a connected bicycle that tracks performance, delivers turn-by-turn directions, checks your blind spot, and even collects route and terrain data to improve your next ride. Seems like the only thing this carbon fibre KITT of a bike doesn’t do is talk to you in a smooth computer voice… yet.

Visit Kickstarter to contribute to the Vanhawks funding campaign, live until May 31.

Grand Rapids designer Joey Ruiter made the 29th Street Bike to withstand whatever the road can give out, with room for fat, shock-absorbent tires built into the durable, industrial frame. Then he basically rode away from the competition by adding a growler holder. Nobody can guarantee a smooth (i.e. non-foamy) ride, but at least you’ll have something refreshing for when its over.

This new edition of the Japanese-made backpack is a step up in the ever-stylish Herschel category of carryalls. While the dark backpack looks classic, the part resting on your back offers padded protection.

Available at the following stockists in North America: Gentry in Brooklyn, Bodega in Boston, Havenin Alberta, and SSENSE in Montreal.

Due to the web of bike-sharing programs sprouting up across the country, it’s easy to fit a community cycle into your life. But those shared rides rarely make it easy to fit your gear onto their frame. Chicagoan Maria Boustead and her Po Campo company created this weatherproof carrier that not only conforms to the confines of system’s like Citibike and Chicago’s Divvy, but also has enough space to carry a laptop or a six-pack (or, depending on how cool your company is, both).

While a cape and city cycling may not appear to go hand-in-hand, the Cleverhood takes note of every potential contact point and cyclist concern, resulting in a stylish way to go peddling in the rain. Made by a company in Providence out of waterproof, reflective thread, the Vogue-praised capes boast helmet-ready hoods, thumb straps, and magnetic closures

Anyone’s who had the pleasure of owning a Brooks racing saddle has also felt the pain of breaking one in. With the new vulcanized rubber-and-organic cotton canvas Cambium, riders can enjoy the comfort and class of British craftsmanship immediately.

A portable biking tool that quotes Charles Eames in its manifesto and can open a beer? That’s utility. In addition to looking like a gnarly throwing star, the steel Reductivist packs a variety of useful things, including hexheads and screwdrivers, on your keychain.

During a storm, this simple piece of plastic can save your backside from looking like it was just painted with a roller brush dipped in a puddle. Slovenian designer Jurij Lozic spent years perfecting this easily detachable plastic protector, which catches all the mud and rain normally whisked onto a rider’s backside yet can be rolled up and stored on your keychain.

Any biker who’s struggled with wraparound lights, or felt like a geeky raver due to inadvertently blinking battery packs, should appreciate this elegant solution to illuminated riding. Two magnetized rings of LEDs that attach to the front or rear of your ride, the Double-O offers a simple way to stay safe at night, and even fits inside a U-Lock. The satisfying snap of the neodymium-grade magnets lets you know they're working, and temporarily makes you feel like Magneto.

Visit the Double-0 site to be notified when the Kickstarted-funded lights are available for pre-order for the general public.